To have courage for whatever comes in life – everything lies in that.

St. Teresa of Avila

Who is Charles Johnston?

Charles Johnston is a father and husband in Phoenix, Arizona. His conversion journey has taken years, as he felt God pulling him toward His Church but he resisted until he couldn’t take it anymore. He gave in and fell in love with His Church.  He blogs for ‘Now that I’m catholic.wordpress.com’

In this episode, Charles tells us about popular saint, St. Teresa of Avila.
He explains:

-St Teresa of Avila and her life as a contemplative
-Her work and book “Interior Castle’
-Her work for the reformation of the Carmelite Order-How we can make time and choose a place for prayer

St Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila and the Interior Castle

It’s amazing how things fell into place. That this podcast happened after the contemplative prayer one was divine orchestration. The unexpected podcast on contemplative prayer came from a podcast on wisdom. I planned St. Teresa of Avila last December 2018. And she is the go to saint on contemplative prayer.

Her work title the Interior Castle is one of the best on the subject. I like that Charles throws down the gauntlet and says it’s important to get started reading it. It doesn’t matter where you are on your spiritual journey. We’re never going to be holier or better at reading it. So go on, start reading.

Contemplative Prayer

Our previous podcast has covered this extensively thanks to Connie Rossini. Charles warns us against too much self-emptying. He explains the various forms of prayer and how at the end the focus has to be on Jesus. In the end, we have to center ourselves on Jesus. And that’s so important.

Personally, it’s hard when often I want to be star, direct and produce my show… my life… ego drama. When it’s all about letting God direct and produce this show and telling me how to act…theo drama.

I’ve realized that when I place myself at the center of my universe I’m easily offended or hurt by so many things. I came across this beautiful litany when I was going through a really hard time this week. And I’m sharing it here.

Litany of Humility

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, O Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be praised and I go unnoticed,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be preferred to me in everything,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

This litany has helped me so much over the last week. Try praying it or simply use it for reflection. St Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the church used contemplation on her journey to holiness. I’m new to this and would love to hear from those who’ve already started it.

ENJOYED THIS PODCAST?

We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Check out our podcasts on St Augustine and Mother Teresa. If you liked this podcast, like us, leave us a comment and share our episodes on social media with those who may benefit from it. If there is a particular saint that you would like to hear about us, tell us and we’ll add him or her to our future episodes.

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